Gerry Gratton

Gerry Gratton (August 29, 1927 – July 28, 1963) was a Canadian Olympic weightlifting medallist. He won a gold medal at the 1950 British Empire Games alongside a silver at the 1952 Summer Olympics and a gold at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. Gratton was inducted to the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1955 and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.

Gerry Gratton
Personal information
Full nameJoseph Aimé Gerald Gratton[1]
Born(1927-08-29)August 29, 1927[2]
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
DiedJuly 28, 1963(1963-07-28) (aged 35)[3]
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Weight165 lb (75 kg)[1]
Sport
CountryCanada[2]
SportWeightlifting[2]
Weight class
Medal record
Men's weightlifting
Representing  Canada
Olympic Games[2]
1952 Helsinki Middleweight
British Empire Games and
British Empire and Commonwealth Games
1950 Auckland Middleweight
1954 Vancouver Light Heavyweight

Early life and education

Gerry Gratton was born on August 29, 1927 in Montreal.[2]

Career

Gratton started his weightlifting career at the 1948 Summer Olympics where he came in fifth.[4] At the 1950 British Empire Games, he won a gold medal in the middleweight event. Gratton followed up with a subsequent gold medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics, but he was demoted to the silver medal after an official ruling. After the Olympics, Gratton won a gold at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in the middleweight category. Gratton was scheduled to compete at the 1956 Summer Olympics, but he was disqualified due to surpassing the weight limit. Gratton's final competition before his retirement was at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.[3]

Throughout his career, Gratton set weightlifting records including sharing the middle weight Olympic record at the 1952 Olympics. He was also the flag bearer for the Canadian team at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.[5]

Awards and honours

In 1955, Gratton was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame.[6] Posthumously, he was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.[5]

Death

Gratton died on July 28, 1963 after succumbing from a car accident.[3]

References
  1. "Gerry Gratton Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  2. "Gérard GRATTON - Olympic Weightlifting | Canada". International Olympic Committee. June 16, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  3. Foisy, Paul (July 27, 2015). "Gérald Gratton". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  4. "Gerald Gratton". Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website. September 19, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  5. "Canada's Sports Hall of Fame". Sportshall.ca. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  6. "Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame". olympic.ca. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
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